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SYMBOLISIVIOFTHE  SHOE 
WITH  SPECIAL  REFERENCE 
TO  JEWISH  SOURCES 


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REPRINTED   FROM   THE  JEWISH   QUARTERLY   REVIEW 

NEW  SERIES 
VOLUME  VI,  NUMBER  1 


THE  SYMBOLISM   OF  THE  SHOE 

WITH   SPECIAL  REFERENCE 

TO  JEWISH   SOURCES 


BY 

JACOB  NACHT 


1915 


THE   SYMBOLISM    OF   THE   SHOE 

WITH    SPECIAL   REFERENCE 

TO  JEWISH    SOURCES 


BY 

JACOB  NACHT 


TO   MY   CHILDREN 
JEHUDIT   AND   DEBORA 


THE  SYMBOLISM  OF  THE  SHOE  WITH  SPECIAL 
REFERENCE  TO  JEWISH  SOURCES 

Even  the  shoe  has  its  history,  its  significance.  Many 
a  custom  in  connexion  with  the  shoe  which  we  practise 
blindly  to  this  very  day  becomes  of  interest  to  the  student 
of  the  history  of  civilization  so  soon  as  we  set  out  to  trace 
it  to  its  beginnings.  Then  much  that  was  unintelligible 
becomes  clear,  and  new  light  is  thrown  upon  many  a 
popular  custom.  The  following  is  intended  as  a  modest 
contribution  on  the  subject  of  the  symbolism  of  the  shoe. 

Our  first  source  of  information  concerning  the  shoe  is 
the  Bible.  Here  the  shoe  partakes  of  the  character  of  the 
profane,  symbolizing  the  Earthly  in  contrast  with  the  Holy. 
Removing  the  shoes  signifies  putting  off  something  profane, 
obligatory  upon  those  who  approach  the  Holy.  '  Put  off 
thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou 
standest  is  holy  ground  ',  is  the  command  to  Moses  (Exod. 
3.  5).  The  Levites,  whose  function  it  was  to  carry  the 
vessels  of  the  Tabernacle,  were  required  to  take  off  their 
shoes  while  performing  this  holy  service.^  The  priests  like- 
wise had  to  be  barefooted  when  performing  their  service  in 
the  sanctuary  ;  -  this  regulation  has  in  part  continued  to  be 
observ^ed  to  this  very  day  on  the  occasion  of  the  Priestly 

1  Num.    r.   sect.    5  :    VH    ^S~lw"'J*    ?  H^ya    "1^    ^C    "lt:2*J'    HM    HCa 

p'^nn  *bn  D^:iyD  ViTj'  ^ib  bz*  luacr  ^a^y  ,D'^i:d  D^j-n^  o^a^nc 
D^D2::'n  ^30  n^iyo  '^h  b'Z'  rci^'  '^nr  inoi?  ''^r\  .n'sn^  vn. 

2  Exod.  r.  sect.  2  :  Q»2n'   N^S   L"np*:J3  VJ'Qw'  N^   D'jn^n   pi. 


2070234 


2 


4  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

Blessing  pronounced  on  festivals.  As  a  matter  of  reverence, 
no  one  with  his  shoes  on  should  set  foot  upon  the  hill  in 
Jerusalem  whereon  the  temple  had  stood  in  bygone  days.^ 
This  explains  the  custom  current  in  some  localities  until 
the  late  middle  ages,  that  no  one  was  to  enter  the  synagogue 
with  shoes  on.'*  Only  with  bare  feet  should  one  draw  near 
to  a  place  dedicated  to  God.^ 

The  shoe  denotes  supreme  power  and  possession.  '  Den 
Pantofifel  schwingen '  is  a  well-known  proverbial  expression 
marking  off  the  shoe  as  the  symbol  of  pqwer.  And  another 
adage,  in  which  likewise  the  shoe  is  represented  as  the 
embodiment  of  power,  says :  '  As  long  as  thy  foot  is  shod 
tread  the  thorn.'  The  shoe  thus  is  accorded  an  importance 
equalling  that  of  the  foot.  The  foot  signifies  domination  : 
'  Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works  of  thy 
hands ;  thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet '  (Ps.  8.  6). 
Hence  the  victor  puts  his  foot  on  the  vanquished  to  sym- 
bolize the  victory  which  has  been  won  :  '  Put  your  feet 
upon  the  necks  of  these  kings  '  (Josh.  lo.  24)  was  the  order 
of  Joshua  to  his  victorious  warriors  in  order  to  indicate  that 
the  enemy  had  been  defeated  for  all  time  to  come.''     And 

2  Comp.  Berakot  54  a  ;  Yebamot  6  b  ;  RMbM.,  Bet  ha-BeJjim  7.  12, 

.uhv^t2  'h^  can"-  pn  D^^^Dnro  psD*  nivis*  c"-  ('i  ^in  mron^ai  n"j 
D'hna  s^y  n:pn  '\tj'  '•snin  ''D^a  nyn?^2  p"pn  ns  'n'^n'C'^  ••nDn 
78  1V  in,  C'^nni  minn  ^pn"':  pyi  ",r\"2b  c^tjd  'nc"  n^c 

•'  Ex.  r.  11,13:   "h^Dn   Th'V^2   IIDN   Jl^^J   HJ^^CX'  mp?D  b,, 
'■  Joshua   10.  24-5  :    TVp  bn.   "I?^N''1  ^XIC'^  •J"'N  ^3  ^S*   yC'in''   NIpM 

cs^on  nsiv  ^y  DD'-bi  nt<  ir^^'c'  innp  ins*  NiD^nn  nr:!n!'cn  "rjs* 
h^  yc'iiT  cn^^N  ids'")  .onnsiv  bv  on^^n  ns  id^-j'^i  innp^i  n^t<n 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       5 

just  as  the  foot  symbolizes  power,  so  also  does  its  gear,  the 
shoe.  Of  the  hero  Joab  King  David  says  :  'And  put  the 
blood  of  war  upon  his  girdle  that  was  about  his  loins,  and 
in  his  shoes  that  were  on  his  feet.'  ' 

The  shoe  thus  characterizes  the  successful  warrior.  But 
it  also  denotes  victory  in  a  different  battle,  the  battle  for 
right  and  possession.  A  purchase  becomes  legal  when  the 
seller  takes  off  his  shoe  and  hands  it  over  to  the  buyer. 
This  ceremony  indicates  the  transfer  of  possession  to  the 
new  possessor.  The  same  holds  true  of  the  redemption  of 
property  by  one's  kinsman,  and  also  of  transactions  of 
barter :  '  This  was  the  manner  in  former  time  in  Israel 
concerning  redeeming  and  concerning  changing,  for  to 
confirm  all  things ;  a  man  plucked  off  his  shoe,  and  gave 
it  to  his  neighbour :  and  this  was  a  testimony  in  Israel.'  ^ 

With  the  ancient  Teutons  likewise  removing  the  shoe 
meant  the  transfer  of  power  and  symbolized  the  dissolution 
of  property  and  inheritance.^ 

According  to  a  haggadic  narrative  Mordecai  established 
his  right  of  dominion  over  Haman  by  producing  a  shoe  on 
which  was  found  a  written  statement  by  Haman  to  the 
effect  that  he  had  sold  himself  as  a  slave  to  Mordecai.^'^ 

T  I  Kings  2.  5 :  Tj'N  H'nv  ]2  2iiY  'b  n"j*y  Tj'x  JIN  Ti]!!'  nnx  D;i 
•  •  •  nnn^i  nn^  p  N'jvryh  "ij  p  -i;3n^  i?sTJ'^  niN2v  n'j'  'y^'b  ni-y 
v^nn  -i"j'N  i^y:3i  v^ncn  n-j'N  inii:n3  r\Drhj2  'di  jnM.   Comp.  also 

Schlesinger,  Geschichte  des  Symbols,  p.  235 :  '  The  removal  of  girdle  and 
shoes  is  a  symbol  of  conditional  and  unconditional  surrender.' 

8  Ruth  4.  7 :  h-2  n-p^  mionn  ^yi  nijix:n  bv  ^n"i'J''3  d^js!?  nxri 
^NTj'^3  nmynn  nsn  inyn^  fn:i  i^y:  c'\s'  ^'z*  "i3T.    Comp.  also 

b.  Kiddushin  60  a. 

^  Grimm,  Detitsclie  Reclitsaltoi.,  p.  156. 
"  Ag.  Est,  ed.  Buber,  V,  60:    ''JS    : '^TTD    ^n:D   hv   i-^    2T\2   Tf^" 

.nns  Dn^   "id33  \b  'm^crj'  '^'\rx'T\  ^^tto    b^'  r\2v  'JJwSn  p^n 


6  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

In  a  well-known  case  the  shoe  is  removed  from  a  person 
in  order  to  indicate  that  he  has  lost  his  authority  over  a 
member  of  his  family.  When  a  man  dies  without  issue, 
his  wife  takes  off  the  shoe  from  the  foot  of  her  husband's 
brother,^^  showing  that  henceforth  he  shall  have  no  claim 
upon  his  sister-in-law's  hand.  The  man  without  a  shoe  is 
the  symbol  of  him  that  is  incapacitated  for  marriage,  while 
the  shoe,  on  the  other  hand,  marks  off  the  aspirant  to 
marriage.^-^ 

The  shoe  means  possession  in  a  larger  sense :  offspring, 
land.  Moses  lacked  two  things,  land  and  children  who 
would  walk  in  his  footsteps,  hence  the  command  to  him  is : 
Take  off  thy  shoes  (in  the  plural) ;  but  Joshua,  though 
childless,  entered  the  land,  hence  it  is  said  of  him  :  Take  off 
thy  shoe  (in  the  singular).^'^ 

To  loosen  a  person's  shoe-strings,  to  carry  his  shoes 
after  him,  as  the  carrying  of  garments^'*  in  general,  is 
equivalent   to  subjugation.      The  master  gains   authority 

2'C'v  "iJT-in  '•'HI  n-iT  miDy  itDvy  ns'  yapi  rhMih  f]iD3^  rhv^2) 
xin  laiyj^  |nn  ns*  nxn  Nint'^i  n  xm  nvv  Nine  "i!'?on  nyen 
nxn  jon  '\ni  in  ninn  inn^pb  ii^^'lT  hjon  ibn  ns*  ii?  tst^iD 
"non  N^on?Di. 

"  Comp.  Deut.  25.  g. 

^2  Comp.  b.  Kiddushin  49  a:  Wy3   iS  •'N*y"l3D  2^1  ''^D^. 

'=  Comp.  Midrash,  SeA-el  Tob,  to  Exod.  :  '•JC'l'  n3T   nb  i:m   H^'O::'  ''sh^^ 

in  ittx:  -jnb  ,inm»  bv  onoiy  D^:n^  xh  j>"iNn  no^jn^  i6  nnm 
l^yj  b:r  in  now  ycin''  biti  .  Q'bv^  •'JC'  1J"'^^^  D^nn  p::*^  ybn:  b^ 
bv  n^'ic)])  n'iib  nnr  ab  bs*  }m6  D:nb  n^w  "d^  T'h^   pt^i'n 

"inmo.      Sec    further    nnn''1    nnon     cmO,   ed.  Werthelm,    p.   50: 

na^n  0333  xijc'  "sb  i?v^  bc'  y^'in'-n  "ionji  T'^y:  bu  nB'on  -losi 
loipo  vin  icT*  N^i  "'"n^. 

'«  .See  b.  Erubin  27  b:  '■>:H^   bJi^'niO. 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       7 

over  his  servant  as  soon  as  the  latter  loosens  his  shoe- 
string.^^ 

To  cast  the  shoe  at  a  person  is  a  sign  of  disrespect. 
The  strong  commit  this  act  against  the  weak.  '  Over  Edom 
will  I  cast  out  my  shoe'  (Ps.  60.  10)  God  is  made  to  say- 
by  the  Psalmist.  Like  the  glove  ^^  in  later  times,  and  the 
shoe  of  the  league  among  the  peasants/^  so  also  trans- 
mitting the  shoe  serves  as  a  challenge  to  fight  and  as  a  token 
of  subjugation.  '  Powerful  kings  in  ancient  times  used  to 
send  their  shoes  to  their  inferiors  as  a  sign  of  subjection. 
The  shoe  had  to  be  carried  on  the  shoulder  as  a  mark 
of  humility.'  ^^ 

In  the  language  of  the  Bible"  and  the  prophets  the  term 
shoe-string  or  shoe  is  also  employed  to  express  something 
petty  and  of  little  value.  Abraham,  who  refuses  to  accept 
the  least  thing  from  the  King  of  Sodom,  says:  '  I  have  lift 
up  my  hand  (to  swear)  .  .  .  that  I  will  not  take  from 
a  thread  even  to  a  shoelatchet,  and  that  I  will  not  take 
any  thing  that  is  thine'  (Gen.  14.  23).^^*  Samuel  likewise, 
in  defending  his  honesty  as  a  judge,  protests  that  he  had 
taken  neither  silver  .  .  .  nor  shoes.^^ 

15  Comp.  b.  Kiddushin  22  b:  l^jy^D  1^    "ITin   np]n2  nVO. 

^^  Comp.  Nork,  Realworteibttclt,  s.  v.  Schuh. 

1''  'The  peasants  employed  the  tied  shoe,  the  union  shoe,  as  a  symbol  of 
revolt',  Schlesinger,  I.e.,  p.  236. 

18  Grimm,  Deutsche  Rechtsaltert.,  p.  156. 

"»  Gen.  14.  23:  ijyj  ^ITk^  lyi  DIHO  DN.  The  poet  Moses  Dar'i 
(9th  cent.)  likewise  says  of  the  insignificant  price  of  the  pen  :  byj  ']1*1tJ' 
DOnV  pn  n^HD   (Pinsker,  nVJIDip  "Dip^,  p.  T'\). 

^'  In  accordance  with  Ben  Sira  of  the  Septuagint  46.  19  where  Samuel 
is  made  to  say  :  xprj/iara  koI  «o)s  virobTjuaTuv  dno  ndarjs  aapKus  ovk  ii\r](pa. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  greedy  prophet  has  sandals  and  entrails  presented  to 
him  :  '  Whoever  comes  first  as  an  interpreter  of  my  verses,  to  him  give  new 
sandals .  . .  and  fill  his  hand  with  entrails  '  (Aristophanes,  T/ie  Birds,  11.  972-5). 


8  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

To  sell  a  person  for  shoes  means  to  abandon  him  for 
a  mere  nothing,  to  tread  upon  him,  as  it  were,  with  the 
shoe.  When  the  prophet  Amos  reproves  the  judges  in 
Israel  who  sell  the  poor  for  shoes,^'^  he  means  to  say  in 
the  first  place  that  they  wrest  the  judgement  of  the  poor 
for  a  small  bribe,  but  at  the  same  time  he  wishes  to 
emphasize  symbolically  that  the  poor  is  trodden  upon 
'  like  the  dust  of  the  earth  '.  The  shoe  which  the  corrupt 
judge  receives  is  the  symbol  therefor.  As  men  tread  with 
the  shoe  upon  the  dust  of  the  earth,  so  they  (the  unjust 
judges)  desire  to  tread  upon  the  head  of  the  poor.^^ 

The  shoe  as  a  symbol  of  somebody  being  trodden  is 
found  also  among  the  Rapajutes  in  the  following  case : 
'  The  Rapajutes  let  the  criminal  ride  on  a  donkey  through 
the  city  with  a  wreath  of  sandals  around  his  neck.'  "- 

In  disputes  the  term  shoe  designates  an  insult  in  the 
highest  degree.  Thus  the  Arab  women,  in  their  mutual 
quarrels  and  altercations,  call  to  one  another :  ^  ^J^j-^ 
eU^  '  My  shoe  upon  thy  head  '.-^  This  derogatory  excla- 
mation  characterizes   the   authority   of  the  one  over  the 

The  Indian  teacher,  after  the  distribution  of  the  Samavartana  sacrament, 
receives  shoes  as  an  honorarium  (Glaser,  '  Der  Indische  Student ',  ZDMG.. 
LXVI,  28). 

20  Amos  2.  7  :   D"'by2   "linyn  JV2N1  pnV  5^D3n  D"IDO  ^y.      Comp.  also 
Yalkut  to  yZ'^^S  and    N"-n  '•piD  :    Oncyn  D^^NyO'C  h  flDV  ns  "Il3r2'1 

y^  Dn^ijj-ib  D'^yjo  rrup^  D'^aoa  "jc'  ^dj  dh^d  nnsi  nnx  i?j  ijd^ 

D^^yj  nnya  irnxi  pnV  P1DD3  D13D  ^y-  Note  also  tlie  piyyut  in 
allusion  to  this  agada  :    (33"vb  flDID  in  niDIN  H^N)  D^^Sy?:!""   mnilS^ 

inijnj  n^!?yj  nya  imino. 

21  ibid.,2.?,:  D>h  c'N-12  ;-ix  nsy  ^y  Q^asvj'n. 

22  Comp.  Nork,  s.v.  Schuh. 

23  Similarly,  Gen.  3.  15  :  3py   132VJ'n    nDNI    L*\S"-|   ISVJ"   NIH. 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       9 

Other,  who  is  to  come  under  her  shoe.  To  come  under 
the  shoe  or  to  lick  somebody's  shoe  exemplifies  slavish 
subjection,^*  while  handing  a  shoe  to  a  person  should  be 
construed  more  in  the  sense  of  devotion.  Thus  the  son 
hands  the  shoes  to  his  father,  and  similarly  the  pupil  to  his 
teacher.-"'  The  custom  among  the  Sarmatae  to  toast  the 
beloved  by  drinking  from  her  shoe  is  likewise  to  be 
construed  as  an  act  of  homage. ^^* 

The  dependence  of  the  son  upon  the  father  and  of  the 
pupil  upon  his  teacher  is  expressed  by  the  formula  that 
the  father  or  teacher  strikes  the  son  or  pupil  with  the  shoe.-'^ 
Conversely,  a  woman  who  threatens  to  strike  her  husband 
wnth  the  shoe  wants  to  emphasize  her  authority  and  inde- 
pendence.-"    In  certain  cases  the  woman  has  a  right  to  hit 

"-*  Esther  r.  8 :  ^oy  nyicTi  b^  ^crh  ninnL*'x  N^  nc>N'  '':n*  n:i  "3 

V^JT  ^yJD  Tl^M  "inib  ""^  ,!?S■^L^•^  in  striking  resemblance  is  the  custom 
to  kiss  the  slipper  of  the  Pope.  In  the  same  connexion  I  wish  to  call  attention 
to  a  passage  in  Aristophanes  {The  Acliar)iiaiis,  11.  300-1),  where  the  enemy 
is  threatened  with  being  cut  up  into  shoe-soles  :  'For  I  hate  thee  still  more 
than  Cleon,  whom  I  will  cut  up  into  shoe-soles  for  the  Knights.' 

25  p.  Shabbat  VI,  r  (p.  8  a) :  jjHV  'i  .Tr:ip  "j'cu'D  mn  X3  12  py?::;' 
iT^n:D  r^'h  \2^'z"\i2  mm. 

-"'^  Comp.  also  Goethe,  IVahlverivandtschafieti,  p.  258  (ed.  Kurz,  vol.  VI) : 
'  Ein  schOner  Fuss  ist  eine  grosse  Gabe  der  Natur  .  . .  Noch  immer  raOchte 
man  ihrcn  Schuh  kiissen  und  die  ."iwar  etwas  barbarische,  aber  doch  tiefge- 
fiihlte  Ehrenbezeigung  der  Sarmaten  wiederholen,  die  sich  nichts  besseres 
gOnnen,  als  aus  dem  Schuh  einer  geliebten  und  verehrten  Person  ihre 
Gesundheit  zu  trinken.' 

28  Comp.  b.  Mocd  katon,  p.  25  a:  iT^nJD3  n''2S*  H'!?  nSD. 
Similarly,  Nork,  s.  v.  Schuh  :  '  Not  until  the  end  of  his  term  of  apprenticeship 
is  the  Brahman  pupil  permitted  to  wear  shoes,  for  these  are  signs  of 
independence."  Comp.  also  Glaser,  '  Der  Indische  Student',  ZDMG.,  LXVI, 
25  :  '  He  (the  Indian  student)  should  not  approach  him  the  teacher)  with 
his  shoes  on.' 

2''  Aristophanes,  Lys.  658  rwZi  7'  aif-TjKTa)  vara^eu  tw  KoOupvai  ttiv  yvaOov. 

^3 


lO  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

her  husband  with  a  shoe.  In  a  portion  of  Russia  it  is 
customary  for  a  woman  who  is  insulted  and  called  indecent 
to  strike  her  shoe  in  the  face  of  her  insulter. 

As  a  symbol  of  contempt  for  one  and  esteem  for  the 
other  the  terms  sandal,  shoe-latchet,  shoe-sole,  and  shoe 
generally,  are  employed  by  both  Arabs  and  Jews  in  certain 
turns  of  speech.  The  Arab  Bedouin,  when  separating  from 
his  wife,  says :  '  I  have  thrown  away  my  slipper.'  -^  The 
eastern  Jew  often  expresses  his  appreciation  in  the  following 
words :  '  He  (resp.  you,  &c.)  is  not  worthy  to  loosen  his 
shoe-strings ;  ^^  he  has  more  sense  in  his  shoe-soles  than 
you  in  your  head  ;  ^°  he  is  as  wise  as  my  shoe-sole.'  "^ 

A  woman  scorns  a  Rabbi  by  telling  him  that  her  father's 
shoe  was  worthier  than  his  entire  family."^  In  Palestine 
the  word  shoe  or  shoemaker  serves  as  a  disgrace.  When 
somebody  mentions  'shoemaker'  in  his  conversation  it  is 
always  with  the  addition :  Far  be  it  (this  handiwork)  from 
you.  Never  is  the  word  used  in  a  favourable  sense.  It  is 
considered  a  great  dishonour  to  be  dubbed  '  shoe'."^ 

^^  Nork,  s.  V.  Scluih. 

2"  Comp.  besides  Luke  3.  16  tpx^Tat  Se  o  taxvportpus  ixov,  ov  oiiic  upii 
tKai'us  Kvaai  tuv  tfiavTa  ruiv  vvoSrifinTuv  avTOv. 

30  Literally:    n     N'^ll     ynC'ryT'S     "lyl     pS*     ^2^1^     in])J2     Dsn     ly 

31  Literally:  j;i1C'iyT'3  p-D  N^"|1  ybp  fS*  ny.  Comp.  also  the 
Rumanian  popular  expression;  'vita  incaltata'  (a  shod  animal),  which 
resembles  the  Hebrew  D"IN  miV3  IlDnS  applied  to  simpletons. 

32  bv  '31  nc'NH  riN*  nirc^  QDnn,^  :)'D"nn  ocn  "n^pn  i2pb„  py 

33  See  Luncz,  '""n  mb,  p.  47 :  ''mrN  ^^j'N  D^3L"n3  inf»iyi  bv^^n 
on  ,n^n3D  d^'h  ns  OT^rnn  ^3  ny  /n:j  ^c  d^jc'id^  pisn 
D^iy^i  .ybv  ab  in  "jdd  pirn  nns^  ^i^rp  ly^  nns  im  d^d-'dik) 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       II 

Fine  feathers  make  fine  birds'  is  a  proverb  frequently 
cited ;  while  Homer  says :  '  Through  handsome  garments 
one  obtains  favourable  repute  among  the  people.'"*  In 
Biblical  literature,  to  mention  but  one  example,  we  find 
a  similar  attitude  in  the  exhortation:  'Let  thy  garments 
be  always  white.'  ""^  In  the  Talmud,  besides  clothes  in 
general  which,  according  to  Ben  Sira,  illustrate  the  worthi- 
ness of  man,"^  special  emphasis  is  laid  on  foot-gear.  In 
the  shoe  the  value  of  man  finds  its  expression.""  '  Only  he 
who  has  shoes  is  a  man.'  The  slave  goes  barefoot.  One 
should  sell  everything  in  order  to  obtain  shoes,^®  for  he 
who  walks  barefooted  is  placed  in  ban  by  God."^ 

When  putting  on  shoes  a  certain  blessing  is  required.*'^ 
There  is  likewise  a  definite  prescription  for  the  manner  in 
which  to  put  on  or  take  off  the  shoes.  In  putting  on  shoes 
the  right  foot  has  the  precedence,  while  in  taking  them  off 
the  left  foot  comes  first."*^  Especially  important  is  the  foot- 
gear of  women.  Moral  motives  were  responsible  for  these 
sayings.     While  it  is  said  of  the  vestments  of  women  in 

lu^yh  .HTC'  bi:^  yc^)^  nrx  oy  an^^y  bi  bv  b]}:  n^c^'n  nx  )b])'  i^b 
bv:  acn  iNipnn  lyab  a-j'n"'  hn:. 

^*  Comp.  Homer,  Odyssey  vi,  11.  29-30  : 

'Ek  'yap  701  Tovrwv  <pdTii  dvOpuinov;  dvafiaivfi 
laOKr], 

35  Eccics.  9.  9:  D-jn^  yin  v.t  ny  b^i. 

3<5  Comp.  n^u-'  3Jy  (Frankfurt  a.  M.,  1700)  where  it  is  cited  in  the  name 
of  Midrash  Tanluima  :  ^33  mm  DIX  ^12  U'pbii  "lin  nOIS  Sn'D  ]2  pi 
miDD    mX.     Sgq  Znnz,  Gotic6dienstliclic  Voriy'dgc,  p.  104. 

37  Comp.  b.  Shabbat  122:   C>''JS   "13   iT^n2   n''i?y:D. 

38  b.   Shabbat    129  a :    D^i?y3D    Hjp^    IH^n    Jimp    DIX    113?^'"    □hyi' 

35  b.  Pesahim  113  b. 

"  b.  Berakot  60  b. 

*i  b.  Shabbat  61  a,  and  Derek.  Eres,  ch.  10. 


12  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

general :  '  With  her  dress  a  woman  removes  also  her 
decorum  'j"*^  the  Rabbis  went  even  farther  in  considering 
as  a  transgression  the  baring  of  only  certain  parts  of  the 
body.  Attention  should  therefore  be  paid  to  the  foot-gear 
of  women,  especially  those  living  in  cities.  Thus,  while  the 
man  in  the  country  was  permitted  (on  the  basis  of  an  oath) 
to  forbid  his  wife  the  wearing  of  shoes  for  a  period  of  three 
months,  this  prohibition  was  valid  only  for  twenty-four 
hours  in  the  case  of  a  city  resident.^"^ 

As  a  whole  the  woman  enjoyed  more  liberties  than  man 
with  respect  to  foot-gear.  Thus  the  male  had  the  same 
shoes  for  week-days  and  sabbaths,^'*  for  father  and  child  ;  ^^ 
furthermore,  he  is  to  wear  a  pair  of  shoes  seven  years.*'' 
Not  so  the  female,  who  was  at  liberty  to  obtain  a  pair  of 
shoes  for  each  of  the  three  holidays.'*'^  These  regulations, 
as  indicated  above,  were  dictated  by  moral  motives.  Hence 
the  song  of  the  royal  bard  on  the  feet  of  Zion's  daughters  : 
'  How  beautiful  are  thy  feet  with  shoes '  (Cant.  7.  i),  provokes 
the  censure  of  the  Haggadist  :  '  Such  eulogies  are  not  fit 
even  for  an  ordinary  man.'  *^ 

Nevertheless  attention  was  paid  to  the  aesthetic  needs 
of  women  with  regard  to  the  cover  of  the  foot.     Apart  from 

^2  Herodotus,  I,  i.  17. 

"  p.  Ketubbot,  VH,  31  b  :   N^^;  inC'N  FIS'    "^'irh   ^V^H   ^3''   DnD32 

"  p.  Shabbat,  VI,  8a:  p^lJD  jnn  H'^  >)n2  '""J'J  111  '^miS  m6 
<5  b.  Shabbat  112a:  p''3JT  p3DT  •'i'tiDT  X3n  Ninn  n^b  HIH  N^D  21 
"  b.  Gittin  68  b  :  >b  T2])  KDDL^IN'b   IDNp  Him   NIDJ  Ninn!?   H^yDB' 

"  b.  Ketubbot  65  b. 

"  Cant.  r.  7:  1^   NIH  "NJJ   nr   p^'i'a   D^pD  DVIH  I^^DS". 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       I3 

the  shoes  common  to  both  men  and  women,  which,  be  it 
remembered,  were  not  without  gold  ornaments,  there  was 
already  at  the  time  of  the  Talmud  a  distinct  fashion  for 
feminine  shoes."*^ 

As  in  the  case  of  women,  there  are  also  special  prescrip- 
tions for  the  foot-gear  of  scholars.  While,  on  the  whole, 
a  person  wearing  shoes  that  have  been  patched  is  equal  to 
the  barefooted,  this  is  especially  true  of  the  learned.  It  is 
unworthy  of  a  scholar  to  walk  the  street  with  patched 
shoes.^'' 

The  scholars  who  used  to  mourn  for  Jerusalem,  known 
by  the  name  D^^cn""  ""bin^^  and  distinguished  through  their 
exterior  apparel,  also  wore  shoes  of  a  black  colour. 
As  a  token  of  mourning  the  shoes  as  well  as  the  latchet 
were  black/"'^  Only  the  worthiest  could  make  use  of  this 
foot-wear.  Unknown  people  were  forbidden  to  wear  such 
shoes,  and  when  they  were  found  doing  so  were  subject  to 
punishment.^"^ 

As  a  rule  shoes  were  black,  latchets  white.     This  was 

<»  b.   Shabbat  141b:  DDHDn    ^yj03   HU'wS   NVJl    nb ,   on  which  comp. 
Hirschberg,  i/ffl/«'rf,  IV,  51  :  □'"anTiD  DJ  ViTii'  C^  TJ'N   D'^yJCa   lO'J'pnm 

mvD  ^yic  d:  nv?o:  133  nb^a  •  •  •  Dn3:n  nv  nna  nisnvj'o  vni 
lion  D>:nro  vn  iTJ'n'h  ^ijd  •  •  •  Q"c':b. 

50  b.  Bcr.  43  b:  pi^>n  D\s^it2i3n  D^^j/JtDa  tW'i:'  n^n!?  \x:!j. 

51  Comp.  J.  Klausner  in  llaoiiict;  II,  g. 

62  Tosafot  Baba  kamma    59  b,  s.  v.  HIH :    'or^Tl    NDm    V^31S    '':SD^1 

"  b.  Baba  kamma  59  a-b:  *  *  *  NM1S*  'JXDtD   DnJ^   mn   Nn^i'T   "liy^S* 

N3i5''3SJ3  Npn  y's'  ?  *:sD?2  "DH  srj'  \so  y'iSi  xm'?:  •j'n  'an  inina-j'wS* 
nin   N-iin^   inD   PD'^c'itn  'ijusris^  na^-j'n  nx  ^'x  .D^^-J'n'x 

nvj-am  nvns. 


14  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

the  Jewish  custom.''*  In  order  to  escape  the  persecutions 
of  non-Jews/^  it  was  permitted  to  wear  also  black  latchets/*^ 
'so  as  not  to  be  recognized  as  Jews  '.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  a  Jew  is  requested  'openly'  to  wear  his  shoe-latchets  in 
accordance  with  non-Jewish  fashion,  he  must  under  no 
conditions  yield  to  this  request.'^' 

Another  phase  of  the  shoe  which  deserves  attention  is 
the  interchange  of  shoes  in  putting  them  on.  Thus  the 
doctors  of  the  Talmud  made  it  their  practice  on  holidays 
to  put  the  right  shoe  on  the  left  foot  and  the  left  shoe  on 
the  right  foot''^ 

Various  symbolic  effects  are  attached  to  the  state  of 
being  barefoot.  Fugitives  and  captives  go  without  shoes. 
King  David  removes  his  shoes  as  he  flees  before  his  son 
Absalom.^'^  The  prophet  Isaiah  is  ordered  by  God  to  go 
barefoot  ^°  as  a  symbol  of  the  capture  of  Egypt  and  Cush 
by  Assyria.  '  And  the  Lord  said,  Like  as  my  servant 
Isaiah  hath  walked  naked  and  barefoot  three  years  for 
a  sign  and  wonder  upon  Egypt  and  upon  Ethiopia  ;    so 

B<  See  Tosafot,  /.  c. :  m^^  niyiviHi  mnc  '^^  ^yjDm  n"-i  nnisi . 

On  the  various  kinds  of  shoes,  comp.  b.  Yoma  78  a-b :  DTJ'''   ni2Din,  s.v. 
55  b.  Taanit  22  a  :    NJ^'^y    ^'N   ?  VO^IS*   "JN'DD   nn^XI   ii.)2V\2   T\)2  ^'N 

n:n  nsTinn  lyr-^  n^t  ^2^r\  ''^  n"Dy  ■'J^n  NJp^sji.   As  to  change  of 

clothes  in  order  to  avoid  danger,   comp.   Gen.  r.,  sect.  82  :   Dn3''t3y   1J"'C 

6«  Tosafot,  /.  c. :  niyivim  by^nn  •u'-^n  jT'jyn  'ddt  noaiN  ""jnooi 

^^  b.  Sanhedrin  7^  b. 

58  b.  Taanit  12  b:   N'^DC^H  vhu^h  WOn   ''D^HD   NIDIT  n?01   HDnD 

59  2  Sam.  15.  30:  ^n^  i^in  Nini  *  •  *  hdui  n^iy  nni. 
«<>  isa.  20. 2 :  i^n  ^yn  j'l^nn  ni'yji . 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       15 

shall  the  king  of  Assyria  lead  away  the  Egyptians  prisoners, 
and  the  Ethiopians  captives,  young  and  old,  naked  and 
barefoot.'  ^^ 

The  removal  of  shoes  symbolizes,  as  already  mentioned, 
resignation  and  loss.  At  the  decease  of  a  near  relative, 
such  as  parents,  children,  or  brothers  and  sisters,  the  wearing 
of  shoes  is  suspended  for  seven  days.  The  same  observance 
holds  true  with  reference  to  mourning  in  a  wider  sense. 
Thus  on  the  ninth  day  of  Ab,  which  is  observed  as  a  fast- 
day  in  memory  of  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  state,  it  is 
likewise  forbidden  to  wear  shoes.  The  same  is  also  true  of 
the  Day  of  Atonement,  when  Israel  prays  for  forgiveness, 
for  life. 

Every  great  disaster  which  befell  the  people  was  indi- 
cated by  the  removal  of  shoes.  Dearth  of  rain  caused  the 
sages  of  the  Talmud  to  take  off  their  shoes  as  a  sign  of 
universal  mourning.*^-  One  doctor  of  the  Talmud  is  famed 
for  having  obtained  the  object  of  his  prayer  with  only  one 
shoe  off,  when  rain  began  to  come  down.^^ 

The  removal  of  shoes  designating  loss  and  suffering,  it 
becomes  evident  why  the  carrying  off  of  shoes  by  the  dead 
appearing  in  dreams  forebodes  evil  and  disaster.'''*     For  the 

61  isa.  20.  3-4 :  ubi:?  ^n")  nny  ihtl:'^  nny  ibn  n:rs3  mn''  -i?2n-i 
^m  Dny  D^'pii  nnyj  ^d  ni^:  nxi  Dnv». 

"2  b.  Taanit  24  b. 

C3  Ibid. :  N"1DD  ^nS*  N^SCD  lU  Pl"^"^'  Hin  ''3  min^  m .  Owing  to 
a  superstition  it  is  forbidden  among  the  Arabs  to  walk  with  onlj'  one 
sandal  :  '  Do  not  walk  with  one  sandal  in  the  manner  of  the  de\'il '  is  one  of 
the  commandments  in  the  Kitiib  dkdiiii^  l-iiniri^diti  (quoted  from  a  review  by 
Noldekc  in  ZDMC,  LXIV,  444). 

«<  b.  Berakot  54  b  :  N^-i:D1  WSDOD  13  "'^yO  N33*iy  hY^'^  ^3 .  In 
German}-  a  superstition  prevails  that  a  guest  must  not  be  presented  with 


l6  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

same  reason  the  retention  of  shoes  after  death  is  considered 
by  some  people  as  a  favourable  symbol.  This  custom  was 
known  already  at  the  time  of  the  Talmud,*^^  and  has  been 
preserved  until  this  very  day  among  the  Jews  of  Tripoli."'^ 
It  was  familiar  also  to  the  ancient  Norsemen.*^' 

Widespread  is  the  custom  of  offering  gifts  to  the  bride. 
The  bridegroom  gives  presents  to  the  bride.  This  custom 
is  rooted  in  antiquity :  it  probably  dates  from  the  time 
when  woman  was  still  considered  the  personal  property  of 
the  husband.  This  state  is  expressed  symbolically  by  the 
present  which  the  bride  receives  from  the  bridegroom,*'^ 
and  is  borne  out  especially  by  the  circumstance  that  the 
present  consisted  mostly  and  still  consists  of  shoes.  Such 
was  the  use  among  the  ancient  Lacedaemonians,*'-^  and  so, 
as  we  shall  sec  further  on,  it  has  been  preserved  among 
other  nations  until  this  day.  The  shoe  proclaims  symbo- 
lically :  The  man  is  the  ruler  in  his  house.  '  The  govern- 
ment of  the  house  was  assumed  literally  the  moment  the  man 
set  his  foot  upon  that  of  his  bride  ;  the  slipper  furnished  the 
symbol  for  it  '.'*'      In  handing  the  shoe  to  the  bride  the 

shoes  lest  he  should  depart  soon  and  never  return.  (Fischer,  '  Die  Ouitte  ', 
ZDMG.,  LXVIII,  298.) 

c'J  p.  Kilaim  IX,  32  b :  pniT-l  pilin  ^JIC'U^S*  -!p2?:5  niH  pni"-  '") 
^^n3   ^JNDn.     Comp.  Krauss,  nin^Dn   nV:V^np,  I,  125,  n.  2. 

«"  Comp.  npnSN    hu   "'^'lanD^    Dnin\T  in  riawchnser,  Constantinople, 

1910,  p.  204:  D''^yjn  !^D  nv  nn"-  "inip^  n?^n  :nrn  Dipr;}3  jmn  my 

•■^  Sec  Nork,  s.  v.  Schnh. 

•'^  Comp.  Bcbel,  Die  Fran  unci  t/cr  Sosialistnus,  p.  33  :  '  Symbolic  for  the 
acquisition  of  woman  as  property  is  also  the  present  which  the  bridegroom 
still  olTers  to  the  bride  in  all  the  civilized  countries.' 

**  Comp.  S.  FI.  Mariana,  Nunta  la  Roniaiii  (Hj'mcnoal  Customs  among 
the  Rumanians),  Bucharest,  1890,  pp.  258-9. 

""•  Schlesinger,  /  c,  p.  331. 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO   JEWISH    SOURCES        I7 

bridegroom  considers  himself  as  her  conqueror.  INIight}- 
kings  sent  their  shoes  to  inferiors  as  a  sign  of  subjection,'' 
while,  according  to  an  old  German  practice,  the  bride  con- 
siders herself  subject  to  the  bridegroom  the  moment  she 
puts  on  the  shoe  which  he  gave  her  as  a  gift,"-  Accordingly 
the  man  is  the  shoe  which  the  woman  has  to  wear. 

This  symbolic  designation  for  the  man  is  not  unknown 
to  the  Talmud.  A  woman,  according  to  one  passage,"^  may 
annul  a  contracted  marriage  if  it  is  found  out  that  her 
husband  occupies  a  higher  rank  and  station  than  the  one 
she  believed  him  in  originally.  She  may  say :  *  I  have  no 
use  for  a  shoe  that  is  too  large  for  my  foot.' 

While  the  transmission  of  the  shoe  to  the  wife  signalizes 
the  assumption  of  the  rights  of  the  husband,  the  man  who 
allows  himself  to  be  dominated  by  his  wife  is  stigmatized 
by  the  nickname  '  man  of  the  slipper ',  that  is,  not  the  wife 
but  the  husband  wears  the  shoes  which  should  be  worn  by 
her  as  a  token  of  his  power.  He  is  the  subjected  party. 
As  a  Yiddish  adage  has  it :  '  Az  dus  weib  geht  im  spodek, 
geht  der  mann  in  pantofel.'  "■* 

As  a  rule,  therefore,  the  woman  must  wear  the  slipper 
or  shoe  which  her  husband  has  bestowed  upon  her.  The 
shoe  must  be  neither  too  small  nor  too  large  for  the 
foot.  As  mentioned  above,  the  woman  may  say  of  her 
unevenly  contracted  marriage  :  '  I  have  no  use  for  a  shoe 
that  is  too  large  for  my  foot','^  while,  on  the  other  hand, 

^1  Grimm,  /.  c,  p.  156.  "-  Grimm,  /.  c. ;  Nork,  s,  v.  Schuh. 

"  b.  Kiddushin  49  a  :    Nr >'2   N^   ''y"l2!3  niT   NJNDO .     Comp,  hereon 
Horace.  Episttilae  i.  10.  42  : 

Cui  non  conveniet  sua  res,  ut  calceus  olim, 
Si  pede  maior  erit,  subvertet, 
''^  Comp.  Bernstein,  Jildisclic  Volkssp>ichu.'oifer,  p.  88. 
''*  See  above,  note  75. 


l8  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

Aschenputtel  becomes  the  bride  of  the  king's  son  after  it  is 
found  out  that  the  golden  slipper  presented  to  her  by  the 
prince  fits  her  foot.  The  fitting  shoe  decides  the  right 
choice. 

Rucku  di  guck  !     Rucku  di  guck  ! 

Kein  Blut  in  Schuck. 

Der  Schuck  ist  nicht  zu  klein, 

Die  richtige  Braut,  die  fuhrt  er  heim.'^'' 

Among  a  portion  of  the  Palestinian  Jews  it  is  customary 
to  make  sure  of  the  fitting  of  the  bride's  shoes,  and  for  that 
purpose  the  bridegroom  sends  the  cobbler  to  his  bride's 
house.  Simultaneously  with  this  ceremony  the  day  of  the 
wedding  is  determined  upon."^ 

In  general,  however,  little  importance  is  attached  to  the 
fitting  of  the  shoe.  The  main  thing  is  that  the  bride, 
and  also  her  relatives,  are  presented  with  shoes.  That 
also  the  relatives  of  the  bride  are  presented  is  probably  due 
to  that  ancient  custom  according  to  which  the  kin  of  the 
bride  should  appear  in  the  same  dress  as  the  bride  herself. 
Thus  among  the  ancient  Greeks  the  bridemaids  had  to  be 
dressed  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as  the  bride.  Says 
Athene  to  Nausicaa : 

Nausicaa,  has  thy  mother  then  brought  forth 
A  careless  housewife?     Thy  magnificent  robes 
Lie  still  neglected,  though  thy  marriage  day 
Is  near,  when  thou  art  to  array  thyself 

''^  Grimm's  Miirchen,  Aschenputtel. 

"  Luncz,  D"D"in  /"n  hi^,  p.  12 ;  jfinn  n^ic  njinnn  -jd^  cyinK^a 
jOT  ^D  jo-D  nn  nmo  n^  D-i?yjn  rh  iiDn^  jyvn  nban  n-'^^ 
yapin  njinnn. 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       I9 

In  seemly  garments,  and  bestow  the  like 
On  those  who  lead  thee  to  the  bridal  rite.'® 

It  is  a  practice  among  the  Sephardic  Jews  that  the  bride- 
groom, before  the  wedding,  bestows  shoes  upon  the  bride 
and  certain  members  of  her  family."^  The  handing  over  of 
shoes  to  the  bride  immediately  before  the  wedding  is  related 
by  Gregory  of  Tours.*^"  In  Teheran  the  bridegroom,  soon 
after  his  engagement,  sends  shoes  to  the  bride,  her  mother, 
and  her  sisters.^^ 

The  Russian  peasants  employ  the  boot  as  a  symbol  in 
choosing  a  bride.  As  soon  as  the  son  makes  known  his 
preference  for  a  girl,  the  father,  on  a  Sunday,  orders  his  son 
to  bring  his  two  boots,  one  after  the  other.  In  one  of  them 
he  had  placed  (some  time  previously)  a  handful  of  oats. 
'  If  the  son  brings  this  one  first,  it  is  a  sign  that  the  alliance 
will  be  successful  and  blessed.  If,  however,  the  son  seizes 
the  empty  one  of  the  prophetic  boots,  fate  wills  it  that  the 
chosen  girl  cannot  be  his.'  *"- 

Among    the    Rumanians  ®^   the    bridegroom    transmits 

'*  Odyssey  vi,  11.  25-9  : 

HavatKoa,   Ti  vv  a'  ui5(   fiedrj/xova  yeivaTO  f^rjT-qp ; 

ftfiara  fxiv  toi  Ktirai  oKTjSta  aifaKofvra, 

aoi  5(  yafioi  (T\^(5oi'  kanv,  \va  xpi)  Ka\a  fiev  avrfjv 

ivi'vcrOaij  ra  5(  roicn  vapaaxeiv  o't  Kt  a'  a.'^wvrai. 
"  See  Dn-|2Dn  '•"nD  by  n'hrhii  in  Hashiloah,  XXIV,  267  :  my  Twb 

nnsD'r^n  b:h'\  D'-^yj  inons*^  jnnn  rhrc  njinnn  "lib. 

8°  Comp.  his  Vttae  Patntm,  ch.  XX,  cited  by  S.  Fl.  Marianu  in  his  Nunia 
la  JRomaiii,  pp.  58-9. 

^'  Revue  des  Ecoles  de  V Alliance  Isr.,  for  1901,  p.  166:  '  Le  jeune 
homme  envoie  aussitot  a  sa  fiancee,  a  la  mere  et  a  chacune  des  soeurs  de 
celle-ci  une  paire  de  souliers' ;  comp.  also  M.  Grunwald,  Mitteihuigen,  &c., 
XX  (1906^  132. 

*2  'Russische  Sitte'  in  Wolfgang  Menzel's  Morgeiiblatt  for  1838,  p.  635. 

*'  Marianu,  Nunta  la  Roniani,  p.  239 :  '  Mirele  cumpera  si  pereche  de 


20  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

shoes  to  the  bride  and  to  her  mother,  or,  when  the  latter 
is  not  alive,  to  her  representative  ;  while  among  the  Bulgars 
the  bridegroom  has  to  bestow  shoes  upon  all  the  members 
of  the  bride's  family.^*  In  many  localities  of  Italy  slippers 
are  sent  instead  of  shoes.^^ 

Finally,  mention  must  be  made  of  the  custom  current 
among  English-speaking  nations  to  throw  slippers  after 
a  newly-married  couple  departing  for  their  honeymoon. 
This  custom  is  in  vogue  even  among  the  highest  circles  of 
society,^''  which,  however,  did  not  deter  an  American  mayor 
from  prohibiting  further  exercise  of  the  practice.^" 

This  prohibition  calls  to  mind  a  similar  decree  issued  in 
1690  especially  against  the  Jews  of  Hesse.  Here,  too,  it 
was  customary  for  the  bridegroom  to  bestow  slippers  upon 
the  bride  and  her  family  on  the  day  of  the  wedding.  The 
Hessian  diet  considered  this  an  extravagance  not  permitted 
to  the  Jews,  which  should  be  opposed  as  extravagance  in 
dress  generally.  The  diet  therefore  issued  an  order  that 
the  gifts  should  be  limited  to  the  bride  only,  and  should 
consist  only  of  a  pair  of  shoes  and  slippers.  This  custom 
has  been  preserved  up  to  the  present  among  the  Jews  in 

papuci  san  crobote  pentru  .  .  .  mama  miresei,  car  daca  mama  acesteia  iiu 
traeste,  apoi  pentru  cea  ce  o  suplineste.' 

8<  '  Volks-  und  Familienlebcn  in  Bulgarien ',  Sarojevoer  Tagblatt  for 
Aug.  15,  1913. 

85  Comp.  Marianu,  I.e. 

*^  Nate  Freie  Presse  for  July  9,  1913  (No.  17556)  :  ' .  .  .  Tluis  the  family 
of  the  whilom  English  Consul-General  Crave  preserves  a  ball  shoe  of  white 
silk  and  with  gold  embroidery,  which  the  Prussian  crown-princess,  later 
Empress  Frederick,  removed  from  her  foot  in  order  to  throw  it  into  the 
carriage  of  her  court  maid,  who  had  just  been  married  to  Joseph  Crave.' 

*■''  Ibid.  :  '  In  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  the  maj'or  and  the  chief  of  police  issued 
an  edict,  according  to  which  the  police  arc  authorized  to  arrest  everj-  person 
who  strikes  newly-wed  people  on  the  back,  or  hurls  rice  upon  them,/ or 
throws  old  shoes  after  them.' 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       21 

Hesse,  wiiere  the  bridegroom,  on  the  wedding  day,  gives 
to  the  bride  a  pair  of  shoes  as  '  m:v3D  '.^^ 

The  shoe  is  also  the  symbol  of  courting  and  fertility. 
Among  the  English-speaking  nations  ^^  rice  and  slippers 
are  thrown  after  the  betrothed  couple  as  a  sign  of  fertility, 
while,  according  to  a  Jewish-mystic  interpretation,  the 
biblical  phrase  :  '  Take  off  thy  shoes '  (in  the  plural)  desig- 
nates Moses,  who  was  the  father  of  two  sons.^" 

In  order  to  attract  man,  the  women  of  antiquity  used  to 
expose  their  ankles,^'  while  Greek  women  employed  the 
shoe  as  a  means  of  embellishment.  If  a  woman  was  of 
small  stature  she  padded  the  shoe  with  cork  in  order  to 
appear  taller ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  she  was  too  tall  she  put 
on  flat  shoes.'-  Clemens  Alcxandrinus  relates  likewise 
'that  by  means  of  characters  imprinted  in  the  sandals  they 
indicated  by  footprint  a  rendezvous  to  their  lovers  '.^^  The 
Haggadah  also  mentions  this  practice.  In  commenting  on 
Isa.  3.  1 6  Rabbi  Jose  remarks:  'The  picture  of  a  serpent 
was  impressed  upon  the  shoe ;  the  Rabbis,  however,  have 

*8  Comp.   Munk,   '  Die  Judenlandtage  in  Hessen-Cassel ',  Monaisschrift 
fiir  die  W issenschaft  des  Jud.,  XLI,  520. 
*"  See  above,  note  87. 

80  Comp.  c;nn  u\\h\  s.v.  n-j-o:  ybi::  ^'J'  u  -i?:nj  i"d  dv*^  nrc. 

8'  Comp.  Heaiid,  IV,  52,  n.  i;  also  Herodotus,  I,  395:  'The  women 
(of  the  Gidaiis)  wear  many  leather  bands  around  their  ankles,  for  the 
following  reason,  it  is  said  :  Every  time  a  man  knows  her  she  attaches 
a  band  around  her  ankle.' 

82  Comp.  Heatid,  IV,  50,  where  Hirschberg  points  out  a  parallel  passage 

in  Lev.  r.  sect.  i6:  nnx  nnvTJ'3  .n:D3>'n  C'^nni  n:3^n  sii2D1  "ii^n 
nwn:  'nrtr  hd  ,;.t:'3  n^^nr:-)  nnvp  ^rrj'  nN"3^  nnM  nms*  int: 

nsnx  n^xn:!  't\t\^  n3  .'n'^'-n  n3^T:i  nn^'p. 

-^  Comp.  Nork,  s.  v.  Schuh. 


22  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

this  to  tell :  The  wanton  daughters  of  Zion  used  to  place  in 
the  heels  of  their  shoes  the  stomach  of  a  cock  filled  with 
odoriferous  oil ;  and  whenever  a  host  of  youths  passed  by, 
they  pressed  their  foot  on  the  sweet-scented  oil,  so  that  the 
odour  produced  confusion  among  the  youths  like  the  venom 
of  serpents.'  ^^ 

As  a  symbol  of  love  we  also  find  '  the  flowered  shoe  of 
the  bat '  in  the  Chinese  folk-song :  '  Bat,  bat,  with  flowered 
shoes,  accompany  us — the  little  girl  yonder  will  be  the 
wife,  and  I  the  husband.'  ^^ 

The  bride  herself,  as  a  rule,  puts  on  the  shoe  given  to 
her  as  a  gift.  Yet  in  the  poem  of  King  Rother  the  suitor 
orders  one  gold  and  one  silver  shoe  to  be  forged,  and  he 
dresses  the  bride's  feet  which  lie  in  his  lap.^*^  In  Berry  the 
bride  used  to  stand  barefooted  before  entering  the  church 
for  the  wedding.  The  relatives  endeavoured  in  vain  to 
have  her  put  her  shoe  on,  since  this  could  only  be  done  by 
the  bridegroom.^" 

In  general,  as  already  mentioned,^^  the  putting  on  and 
removal  of  the  shoes  has  to  proceed  according  to  definite 

»<  Lam.  r.,  IV:  miv  m^'  nn\i:r  noiN  •'DV  '-i  ,n3DDyn  n'b:i2) 
x^r:Di  Ssnn  b^  psr  hnud  ^n^^u'  noN  \:2i)  nhv^D  bv  jipm 

bcf  D-is  imso  inn  ysyaD  nnn  inis*  '^■^1  vbv  npan  nn\n  nmna 

^j^y. — As  to  the  serpent  being  a  symbol  of  fertility,  comp.  Rubin,  Agada 
u.  Kabba  a,  pp.  18-19,  ^""^  °"  ''^^  cock,  p.  23.     Comp,  also  Koran,  Sura  24. 

'^^  La  Revue,  March  i.  1913,  P- 98 :  '  Chauve-souris,  chauve-souris  aux 
soulicrs  fleuris,  accompagnez-nous,  la  petite  fille  que  voila  sera  la  mariiie  et 
je  serai  Ic  mari.' 

*'■  Nork,  s.  V.  Scluili. 

"  Mariana,  Nuiita  la  Romaiit,  pp.  258-9  :  '  In  Berry  miresa  stalca  eu 
piciorele  goale  coud  sosea  timpul  sa  mearga  la  biserica  si  rudele  si  cercan  in 
Zador  sa  o  incalta.     Numai  mirele  isbutea.' 

'*  Comp.  above,  p.  9. 


WITH    SPECIAL    REFEREN'CE    TO    JEWISH    SOURCES       23 

prescriptions.  In  this  connexion  many  mystic  conceptions 
grew  up  concerning  the  importance  of  the  feet  and  shoes. 
Thus  it  is  said  of  Enoch  that  he  effected  the  union  of  the 
upper  worlds  and  knew  how  to  keep  the  evildoers  from 
himself  through  being  a  shoemaker. '^^  We  find  further  in 
a  mystic  book  that  the  feet  need  special  protection  against 
the  pernicious  influences  from  the  outside  (D^JIVn),  since  they 
(the  feet)  represent  the  '  lower  wisdom  '.  This  protection  is 
afforded  by  the  shoes  just  as  the  Tephillin  indicate  the  light 
of  the  face.  On  account  of  this  similarity  between  Tephillin 
and  shoes  the  left  shoe  is  to  be  fastened  first.^°° 

'  Civilized  people  lose  easily  their  religion,  but  rarely  their 
superstitions ',  says  Karl  Goldmark  somewhere.  The  super- 
stition concerning  the  shoe  has  come  down  to  our  own  days, 
and  we  meet  it  even  among  the  educated  classes  of  society. 
Says  Dr.  J.  Kohler,  professor  in  the  University  at  Berlin : 
'  My  superstition  is  prognostic  throughout ;  I  place  much 

»9  See  cnn  i2)pb\  s.v.  'ni^N:  ':2  mv^  'r  n^n  nivo  '^^  i6  ii:n 

bipn:)  nm  -in  bDinf  pnv  "ij  pya  in  n-j'iyi  nivD  i:\x'j'  ^os  ^iSTj'^ 

pabnn^  d'V'^-\  inanob  n^ao  njm  .  it  n^  2)z^  nW^  |V3i  an-jm 
nio^iyn  ic'p^  Q'^y:D  nam  ''n  xini  i"n  mani?  D^tJ'pnDn. 

,00  ^,-,>;»,  .'f  -1^.  ,|""inD  ^'^)pb  bv^b  r^a  y":-  ^y  no^n  ^uip^ 
D'i'yjJin  "2  '  ' '  p^anr:  noS  rhnn  bar^'C  nvj'p^i  n^nn  po^  b'c'  hy:^ 
a^iiroDH  D^:ivnn  |d  inv3  iid-j*^  p^nv  p^nn  '3  ^pi'n^  m-c-j*  nn 

p^sna  inn  D>:i\'n  p^  pl^nn  ns  cn-rvj'  cn-j*  c^yr:.!  'na  p^y'o: 
QH'i:*  n^i'yion  'na  tj'^3  DL"a  '2  ^D'^y:^  "]3  yn'2  Q':£n  nix  ant' 
pbann  id3  nisnn  ^nj:*j'  m"L:*p3  ::"yi  phii?  nT'^rn  'na. 


24  THE    SYMBOLISM    OF    THE    SHOE 

weight  upon  the  right  or  the  left  shoe  being  put  on  first, 
because  I  imagine  that  otherwise  something  uncanny  would 
happen ' ;  while  Tilla  Burieux,  the  actress,  states  in  an 
interview  that  she  is  very  careful  not  to  place  her  shoes  on 
the  table,  because  it  signifies  'certain  stuttering '.^"^ 

Concerning  the  laying  on  of  the  left  shoe  the  following 
belief  prevails  in  Ansbach  :  '  If  the  bride  lets  the  bridegroom 
buckle  on  her  left  shoe,  she  will  rule  in  the  house.'  ^°^ 

With  reference  to  worn  shoes  the  Chinese  say :  '  He 
who  wears  his  hat  sideways,  has  a  lazy  wife  ;  and  he  who 
has  worn  shoes  on,  has  a  gluttonous  wife.'  ^^^ 

Finally,  mention  must  be  made  of  the  superstition  pre- 
vailing among  a  considerable  part  of  the  French  people, 
according  to  which  the  preservation  of  the  bridal  shoe 
guarantees  a  happy  conjugal  life.^"^'* 

10^  Berliner  Tageblatt  for  May  ii,  1913  (No.  235). 

'"-  Nork,  5.  V.  Schuh. 

^°3  J.  Banzemont,  '  Enfants  Chinois ',  La  Rcvitc,  March  i,  1913,  p.  102  : 
'  Si  vous  portez  votre  chapeaii  sur  le  col  vous  avez  une  femme  paresseuse, 
dit-on,  si  vous  portez  un  habit  crasseux  et  des  souhers  cculcs  vous  avez  une 
femme  qui  aime  a  manger.' 

'°*  Revue  des  Deu.v  Mondes,  Jan.  191 1,  p.  146  :  '  Garder  les  souliers  avec 
lesquels  on  s'est  marie,  c'etait  s'assurcr  des  chances  de  faire  bon  menage.' 


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